Merlin's Blade by Robert Treskillard

I remember reading The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart when I was in high school for a social studies class. I loved it. We watched Camelot the musical afterwards and I remember singing "May May lusty May" for quite some time afterwards. I think the two of them created an intrigue for Merlin within me.
So when I ran across this title Merlin's Blade on Booksneeze, I had to see what it was about. This is a telling for the story of Merlin and Arthur with a twist I haven't seen before, Merlin is a Christian and he does the will of God.
The story starts out with Merlin in his late teens, practically an adult, but he's not independent of his family, because he has lost the majority of his vision do to a vicious wolf attack several years earlier. The story is based around the druids coming to Merlin's village in order to worship a stone that was long ago discovered at the bottom of a nearby lake, the same lake that Merlin's mother drowned in when he was a young child. The local abbey and Merlin along with a few villagers are proclaiming God's word and fighting against the power of the stone. In the midst of all this, the High King Uther and his family are scheduled to visit the town and check the local defenses. Things get a little out of control and Merlin though victorious in the end pays a great price.

The book was a little difficult for me to get started in, mainly because of the lack of vision on the part of Merlin. It's tough to not be able to see what's going on around you. Treskillard did an excellent job of painting that box within the story. He also provided moments of relief from that world with other characters and dream sequences. Once the fighting started though, it was a great ride!

I really enjoyed this story with the Christian slant and I really really enjoyed how Treskillard laid the foundation for so many aspects of Merlin and Arthur's later story. If you're into the whole King Arthur's court, I recommend checking this title out.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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